INNOVATION TECHNOLOGY061consumed (Source: IEA), and non-residential buildings(offices; schools; shops etc) and streets - particularly inurban environments - represent 75 per cent of allelectricity used for lighting. Global savings of around?120 billion in energy costs and 630 million tonnes ofCO2 a year are achievable (the major part in cities) justby switching from older lighting to the latest lightingtechnology. A growing number of cities are doingsomething about their energy burden. Philips ispassionate about creating inspirational, desirable,livable cities across the globe. It is our goal to make ourcities safer, more comfortable, more beautiful andlivelier, with the least impact to our environment.BEAUTIFICATION AND IDENTITYCities and towns have good reason to want to appeal tothe public; when they are vibrant, beautiful, interestingand safe, they attract people. Phillips lights up many ofthe world's biggest cities and their most iconiclandmarks, such as the Sydney Opera House, the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Acropolis in Athens, theBrandenburg Gate in Berlin, the Petronas Twin Towers inKuala Lumpur, and last but certainly not least, Big Benand Buckingham Palace in London. LED lighting hasbrought new life to many local identities, as the creativeand colorful possibilities of LED transform both theexterior and interior of our buildings. Philips is playing aleading role in this metamorphosis by providingarchitects and lighting designers with flexiblearchitectural lighting solutions that enabling them to,quite literally, "paint" with light. And let us not forgetthat by highlighting such benefits of low-carbon (LED)solutions we should be able to accelerate the transitionto a more resource efficient society where we enjoy tolive, work and leisure in livable cities. nABOUT THE AUTHORHarry Verhaar has over 20 years of experience in thelighting industry, with his current role being Head ofStrategic Sustainability Initiatives at Philips Lighting.He has in the past seven years been the architect ofthe lighting strategy on energy and climate change,which has resulted in a global momentum on phasingout of old lighting technologies for cities, non-residential buildings and homes. He is an activemember of a number of partnership networks, amongwhich The Climate Group; WBCSD; World GreenBuilding Council; Prince of Wales CorporateLeadership Group on Climate Change, and a memberof the Advisory Board of The Lisbon Council. ABOUT ROYAL PHILIPS ELECTRONICSRoyal Philips Electronics of the Netherlands (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHI) is a diversified health and well-being company, focused on improving people's lives through timely innovations. As a world leader in healthcare, lifestyle and lighting, Philips integrates technologies and design into people-centric solutions, based on fundamental customer insights and the brand promise of "sense and simplicity". Headquartered in the Netherlands, Philips employs more than 116,000 employees in more than 60 countries worldwide. With sales of ?23 billion in 2009, the company is a market leader in cardiac care, acute care and home healthcare, energy efficient lighting solutions and new lighting applications, as well as lifestyle products for personal well-being and pleasure with strong leadership positions in flat TV, male shaving and grooming, portable entertainment and oral healthcare. News from Philips is located at www.philips.com/newscenter.

he software industry is in a uniqueposition. It is part of a broad ICT industrythat accounts for two per cent of globalcarbon emissions (according to Gartner2007). At the same time, by providing applications that enable businesses to better manage their environmentalimpact, the software industry plays a vital role in thesustainability solution, that should not be underestimated.Software applications are key to enabling organisations'effective monitoring, measuring, managing andreporting on sustainability indicators such as carbonemissions and embedded water. Without the rightsoftware solutions in place, businesses cannot beexpected to effectively deliver carbon reduction targetsand other sustainability objectives. Although the UKGovernment relies upon the software industry to enablesustainable business practices, it is questionablewhether it fully appreciates that for organisations to implement green software applications, anenvironment that promotes their successful uptakeneeds to be created. Working together with the softwareindustry, the Government could create a powerful forcefor change. With the software industry having alreadydeveloped a number of key applications to supportorganisations' environmental management andreporting requirements, the time is now right for theGovernment to create the necessary environment forsuch green applications to flourish. If the Governmentfails to work closely with the software industry tofacilitate change, the creation of a strong greeneconomy will remain a remote utopia.THE SOFTWARE INDUSTRY IS THEBACKBONE OF A GREEN ECONOMYBusiness application software is entrenched into mostglobal businesses, enabling organisations tocommunicate and effectively carry out everydayprocesses, from procuring goods through to staffappraisals. The far-reaching impact of softwareapplications means that the software industry is well-placed to help businesses to operate sustainably. Software applications can provide organisations withthe vital intelligence they need to fully understandtheir environmental impact. Without knowing howmuch carbon they emit, what emits the most carbonand in which areas of the company, how canorganisations effectively bring about reductions? A range of software applications are already readilyRight:Softwareapplications can provideorganisations with thevital intelligence theyneed to fully understandtheir environmentalimpactTHE UK SOFTWARE INDUSTRY CALLS ON THEGOVERNMENT TO ACTINNOVATION 062TECHNOLOGYTDEAN DICKINSON, MANAGING DIRECTOR, ADVANCED BUSINESS SOLUTIONS; AND JAIRO ROJAS, DIRECTOR GENERAL, BUSINESS APPLICATION SOFTWARE DEVELOPERS ASSOCIATION (BASDA)